Method of manufacturing light weight cylinders



Jan. 15, 1935. E. c; SMITH 1,937,718

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LIGHT WEIGHT-CYLINDERS Filed April 30, 1952 12 11 10' 1,; Fig.1 1 E% I 'L' E I, II 1! i J :i 1 1: 1 I: I 1 1 i 'INVEVNTOR Eda are! 8,6201%,

Patented Jan. 15, 1935 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LIGHT WEIGHT CYLINDERS Edward 0. Smith, Harrisburg, Pa.

Application April 30, 1932, Serial No. 608,352

8 Claims.

thereof, the construction affording great strength for a minimum weight of the cylinder. In the manufacture of cylinders for the transportation and storage of fluids under high pressures it is desirable that the weight of the cylinders be no greater than required to impart sufiicient strength to the cylinder. In this connection, however, the necessity of affording a desired factor of safety in view of the great danger attending the storage and transportation of fluids under high pressures requires a considerable weight of metal and an object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder and method of manufacturing the same whereby the relative strength in proportion to the weight of metal is greatly increased over similar devices now available.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cylinder of the above character, formed by cupping and drawing of the metal in a plate, the faulty metal present in the ingot from which the plate was made being eliminated from the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a container of the above character wherein the faulty metal of an ingot is eliminated from the finished container.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved container and method of manufacture thereof whereby the faulty metal of an ingot is eliminated from the container and the portion of the metal possessing a maximum strength and density is utilized for the construction of the container.

Further objects, not specifically enumerated above, will be apparent as the invention is described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ingot from which a container is to be manufactured in accordance with the present invention, the view illustrating the portion of metal which is faulty adjacent the axis of the ingot.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the ingot of Figure 1, after the same has been rolled into a plate and preparatory to being disced and cupped, the portion of faulty material again being illustrated by the section of metal extending through the plate and adjacent the axis thereof. This view further illustrates the disc and the cupping ram about to be applied to the disce'd portion of Plate.

Figure 3 illustrates the metal after having been cupped and drawn.

Figure 4 shows a completed cylinder or container after the machining operations have been perfected.

Referring to the above drawing, a suitable disc for use in forming a cylinder in accordance with the present invention is shown at 19 in Figure 2. This disc is sheared from a plate 10, the ingot in Figure 1 being rolled under heavy pressure into the plate 10. The resulting plate (and the disc sheared therefrom) is of flattened section and the faulty metal of the ingot indicated at the core thereof by the reference character 12 is flattened out to form a seam or section of faulty metal 13 adjacent the center of the plate shown in Figure 2.

The presence of the fault, occurring as a pipe, segregation, sponginess and low density metal 12 cannot be avoided in the manufacture of the ingot and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of forming a cylinder, or other hollow object, by the cupping and drawing method from ingots in which these faults necessarily occur. The method is such as to afford a cylinder which is light in weight and of great strength, the faulty metal of the ingot being removed and the resulting cylinder having almiformly homogeneous section of metal.

After the ingot has been rolled into the plate shown in Figure 2, a disc blank 19 is sheared from the plate and the cupping ram 14 is forced into the blank perpendicularly thereto as shown in Figure 2. The metal is forced through a series of dies which pull or draw the same over the ram, thus cupping it into the form of a cylinder. The faulty metal is thus included in the resulting cupped and drawn cylinder, substantially intermediate the inner and outer surface thereof.

With reference to Figure 3, therefore, it will be seen that the disc 19 has been formed into a cylinder wherein the faulty metal is present adjacent the intermediate portion of the section as indicated by the dot and dash line 15.

In order that a light weight cylinder of maximum strength may be provided, a portion of metal 18 is machined off internally of the cupped blank to provide the interior of the container with the desired characteristics. The exterior of the portion of metal 16 of the cupped blank is then machined off through the faulty metal 15 thus leaving the finished portion of metal 17 which is to form the cylinder. After being thus formed the cylinder may be necked-in in accordance with present known methods and the forming of the cylinder is thus completed, or the construction of the cylinder may be completed in any other suitable manner. Likewise the cylinder may be completed by necking in both ends of a cylindrical element instead of being formed with one end normally closed.

0bviously, the cylinder could be made by machining only one side thereof, the metal machined off including the faulty portion.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the metal of an ingot is effectively worked into a cup and a cylinder portion formed therefrom having great strength and minimum weight, the faulty and less dense portion of the metal being discarded in order that the resulting cylinder may have no weakened portions.

Although it is thought preferable to utilize the metal of the cupped blank inwardly of the fault, as described herein, it will be apparent that the cupped blank may be machined interiorly through the fault andthe metal exteriorly thereof utilized for the cylinder, the resulting construction being superior to the cylinders now available.

While the invention has been described with specific referenceto the accompanying drawing, it is not to be limited, save as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of forming cylindrical metal containers comprising working an ingot having a fault into a blank, forming a cylinder from the blank with the faulty metal therein, and removing metal from the interior and exterior of the cylinder, the metal removed from one of the sides being for a depth greater than the intermediate portion of the wall of the cylinder and including the faulty portion thereof.

2. The method of forming cylindrical metal containers comprising working an ingot having a fault into a blank, forming a cylinder from the blank with the faulty metal therein, removing metal from the interior of the cylinder, and removing metal from the exterior of the cylinder to a depth greater than the intermediate portion ing working the ingot into a blank to position the fault in a substantially flat intermediate section of the blank, forming a cylinder of the blank so formed, and removing metal from the cylinder from one side through the flattened faulty section.

4. The method of forming cylindrical metal containers comprising compressing an ingot into a blank, applying pressure to the blank centrally thereof and perpendicular to the central portion of the blank to form a cylinder, and removing metal from the interior and exterior of the cylinder, the metal removed from one of the sides being for a depth greater than the intermediate portion of the wall of the cylinder.

5. The method of forming cylindrical metal containers comprising compressing an ingot having a fault into a blank, forming the blank into a cylinder with the faulty metal therein, and removing metal from the interior and exterior of the cylinder, the metal removed from on of the sides being for a depth greater than one-h 1f the thickness of the wall of the cylinder and including the faulty portion thereof.

6. The method of forming cylindrical metal containers from an ingot havinga fault comprising working and shearing the ingot into a blank to position the fault in a substantially fiat intermediate section of the blank, cupping and drawing the blank so formed, and removing metal from the cylinder from one side through the flattened faulty section.

'7. The method of forming high pressure metal containers comprising working an ingot having a fault into a blank, forming a cylinder from the blank with the faulty metal therein, and removing metal from the interior and exteriors of the cylinder, the metal removed from one of the sides being for a depth greater than the intermediate portion of the wall of the cylinder and including the-faulty portion thereof.

8. The method of forming high pressure metal containers from an ingot having a fault comprising working and shearing the ingot into a blank to position the fault in a substantially flat intermediate section of the blank, cupping and drawing the blank so formed, and removing metal from the cylinder from one side through the flattened faulty section.

EDWARD C. SMITH. 

